Hitting the Deck

Ever since reading "The Right Stuff," I'd wanted to write about pilots, particularly Navy pilots, as my father was one. There was a brief, wonderful time in the late 1980s, when the Andy Warhol magazine, Interview, was headed by the incredible Shelley Wanger, who wanted to shift the magazine from frothy celebrity interviews to something more serious. She said yes to my pitch about covering Carrier Qualifications, and I had the greatest time hanging out on an aircraft carrier.